Participation

We love getting a response from our audiences-see some snaps of post-show feedback above-but our plays often start with the participation of contributors and social researchers, who in turn help us have an ethical framework for interviewing “experts by experience”. FRICTION was supported by NHS England, SCORE was inspired by Bournemouth University’s Parent Story Project and PULLING OUT was inspired by Leeds University’s Following Fathers study and the work of the Young Dads Collective.

We welcome collaboration with partners inside and outside the theatre industry on socially-engaged projects. Our workshops give professionals, young people and families an opportunity to upskill as writers, and reflect on their lives through the prism of the dramatic characters. We take our work into secondary education and health settings, have organised special matinees for AS Level/A Level students and were selected for South Bank Centre’s WHY? Festival celebrating children’s rights.

FRICTION

Friction shows how a couple are, against all the odds, still doing something together even if life at that point in time is hugely compromised. It was inspired by a series of interviews with couples that have recovered from postnatal depression to produce a theatre piece for conferences to help communicate how it feels to be going through this illness.

In 2017, Friction was nominated for a NHS England Education Star award for Listening to the Patient’s Voice

It has been performed at conferences in London, Bristol & Exeter to over 1200 delegates since 2014. Our ongoing impact study shows that Friction is raising awareness & changing practice on the frontline.

“This has been the single most powerful learning experience in my medical education to date” (GP Trainee)

“Before I was quite cold-hearted about Heroin addicts but this was not what I was feeling during the drama. I really wanted them to do well” (2nd year Social Work student about SCORE)

Photo Gallery

Over the last year we have held inspiring workshops for an esoteric range of participants from the Royal College of Psychiatrists to Stepladder, Bristol Drugs Project’s Drama Group. If you would like to find out more, email cally@documentaltheatre.co.uk or lucy@documentaltheatre.co.uk

“I thought the workshop was really exceptional and I know the team also took a great many things from it”